Making government information more accessible

State Services Minister Trevor Mallard welcomed the announcement today that more local government services will be available on-line.

An agreement has been reached by Local Government New Zealand and the State Services Commission’s E-government Unit to support the government web portal www.govt.nz with local government information.

"This is a significant joint achievement which will benefit all New Zealanders. On-line government saves people time and is a popular, easy-to-use way of delivering services to New Zealanders.

"The government portal already includes information from central government agencies, crown research institutes and the details of every local authority. Now, internet users will be able to access more and more local and regional council information on everything from dog licences and rating information to the opening hours of their local library, all from one portal," Trevor Mallard said.

"The new agreement will extend the scope and range of the government portal, making it an even more valuable resource for accessing government services on-line. Currently, there are more than 120 council services listed on the portal.

"This agreement will ensure that information is updated automatically and new information is created when there are generic changes in the local government sector, such as new legislation,” Trevor Mallard said.

Chief Executive of Local Government New Zealand, Eugene Bowen agrees the portal will become an even more valuable resource.

"Councils are well aware of the benefits of wider access to information about their services. Many councils are working towards making sophisticated services like location-based (geospatial) and rating information available on-line. Others are increasingly looking towards the role of electronic submissions as part of their planning and consultation cycle,” Mr Bowen said.

"This agreement makes it clear that local and national government’s e-government efforts are collaborative and producing effective results for all New Zealanders," Mr Bowen said.

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